French telecoms incumbent Orange has announced it is working with carmaker Renault on a research project investigating the automotive uses of 4G connectivity.

The partnership has already seen Orange (Paris, France) deploy 4G services at Renault’s (Boulogne-Billancourt, France) research and testing facilities, with both companies aiming to test new applications supported by the high-speed technology, ranging from virtual office and cloud gaming to video conferencing.

According to a statement from the partners, initial tests are being carried out on the NEXT TWO prototype based on Renault ZOE, which is being showcased at the LeWeb conference in Paris this week.

“This partnership is an example of an effective working relationship between two very different worlds,” said Remi Bastien, Renault’s head of engineering innovation. “We were able to benefit ahead of time from a high-speed LTE network and from Orange’s expertise, with an opportunity to take advantage of the network for our prototype of the connected vehicle of the future.”

Orange says that by equipping cars with communications technology it can help to make travelling more efficient, and describes the automotive opportunity as a “major development priority” in its strategy.

Connected vehicle services are already available from a range of providers, with Renault’s own R-Link service offering an integrated and connected multimedia touch tablet to customers.

R-Link is now available on most Renault range models and features around 100 apps.
SIM cards for the service are supplied by Orange Business Services, Orange’s enterprise arm.